Stefan Tepeu
Stefan Tepeu (born September 8th, 2421) is a member of the Redemption Party and was the seventh President of the Free Republic of Lourenne. He began his career as a political activist at the age of fourteen in Kamaryul, Kundir, when opposition to then-President Merovichi was at its apex. Riding the popular tide of anti-totalitarian sentiment, Tepeu became one of the youngest senators in Parliament in July of 2442. Effect on the Redemption Party The laissez-faire politics of the Redemption Party appealed to Tepeu and his supporters, but Tepeu's staunch advocacy of decentralization stood in stark contrast to the party's general attitude. Notoriously disliked by Bennie Hutton, the charismatic leader and founder of the party, Tepeu was given to dramatic displays and harsh words, even against his friends and allies. Tepeu stormed out of Parliament in anger and raised his voice to a nerve-grating shout so often that political satirists nick-named him "The Injured Pig," though with time he began to maintain his composure. A dispute between Hutton and Tepeu in 2445 threatened to create a schism in the Redemption Party until Ramiro Dull, the Foreign Minister, devised a compromise that allowed Hutton's policies to remain in place, while Tepeu and his supporters were allowed to restructure the Redemption Party's organization. An unintended consequence of this compromise was that Tepeu's influence on the politics of the party was far more long-lasting even than that of the more popular Hutton, and the modern Redemption Party political platforms are nearly identical to those of Tepeu in his early career. This is likely to change in the near future, since Tepeu says he will not run for president again, nor will the Redemption Party continue to support his candidacy after the campaign failure of 2476. Views on Socialism In the elections of 2450, Tepeu was one of only four Redemption Party senators to keep his parliamentary seat, and over the next few years he opposed the onslaught of socialist legislation with unprecedented (if ineffective) vehemence. When his party regained a foothold in Parliament, Tepeu led a successful campaign not only to reverse all the legislation passed by the Secular Party and others, but to decentralize the government to the point of relegating most matters to local governments. Once Tepue became president, he relaxed his anti-socialist policies to allow progressive government programs to override some of his earlier decentralization legislation. Presidential Campaigns and Terms Out of desparation to oust Stephen Ramirez from office, the Redemption Party endorsed Walter Bagehot of the Economic Liberty Party in 2454. Tepeu ran for President in 2458, but fared poorly; his stubborn refusal to endorse Bagehot again after losing in the primaries led to a Proletarian Relief Party victory. In 2462, Tepeu came in second to Bagehot's second successful campaign. In 2466, his presidential bid was finally successful, and he was reelected in 2470 and 2473. During his term as President, Tepeu led a successful effort to clarify Lourenne's constitutional structure and precedent. Along with Senator Auguste Mulac, Tepeu shortened the length of electoral terms, restricted the Senate's power, and helped define the powers of the cabinet. Tepeu is the first Lourennian president to have deployed the military, and he appointed the first three Justices of the Supreme Court of Lourenne, after overseeing its formation. In 2476, the Lourenne Democratic Party revoked its former support for the Redemption Party, allowing the Socialist Reformist Party to win the presidency, with the help of the Old Guard Party. Tepeu now resides in Kamaryul and is not engaged in politics. Military Deployment Tepeu oversaw a large number of constitutional changes in Lourenne and expanded the power of the executive, deploying troops on two separate occasions: first during the Deltarian blockade, and secondly to secure the southern colonial claim. On July 9, 2468, the Deltarian government kidnapped a host of diplomats, including Ramiro Dull. Tepeu took great personal offense to this action, supporting an international blockade and invoking his interpretation of Lourenne's constitution in order to directly order a detachment of naval vessels to the Majatran Basin. The response of Lourenne's legislature was supportive of the action, although the blockade was rescinded, due to Dull's release, before Parliament could authorize the full use of the Republican Navy. In September of 2475, immediately after the passage of a constitutional amendment granting the President the authority to deploy up to 5,000 troops of the military, President Tepeu deployed all 5,000 troops of the Lourenne Presidential Guard to the unprotected southern regions, expanding the Protected Zone. Action Plan of March 2474 In Tepeu's third and final term as president, he led a more active campaign for change. His platform achieved mixed success, and he was most able to reform domestic policy and government structure, as opposed to the foreign policies he largely failed to enact. Government Structure Cabinet Formation -- Tepeu successfully sought to form the Free Republic's very first unanimous cabinet, and at least two Ministers from each party in the Senate were in the cabinet of January 2474. Supreme Court -- Tepeu stated in an address to the nation that there were "numerous ambiguities" in national law that should be submitted to the Supreme Court of Lourenne for rulings, but no such cases were ever heard. Emergency Management -- According to Tepeu, the Emergency Powers Act granted Lourenne a greater flexibility in responding to national emergencies or crises. Despite enormous historical opposition to the measures, the act passed unanimously in 2477. Decentralization and Local Precedent -- Tepeu attempted to push his decentralization campaign a bit further with the Decentralization Act of 2475, but this failed to pass. Also, no Regional Delegations have met to discuss local policy thus far, as suggested by Tepeu in an address to the nation. Education -- Tepeu led a successful campaign to hold educational institutions to more regulated standards with the passage of the Educational Attainment Benchmarks law. Presidential Succession -- Also due to the Emergency Powers Act, Tepeu was able to nominate Paul Hanhau as the first Vice President. Foreign Relations Treaty with Kafuristan -- Tepeu was displeased with the seemingly non-binding nature of the "friendship treaty" with Kafuristan, but no replacement treaty was ever drafted, since then-Foreign Affairs Minister Ramiro Dull was busy with various Dovani Common Market Area affairs. Sanctions Against Deltaria -- The Anti-Deltarian Trade Alliance was quickly ratified by Lourenne, but no other nation has ratified the treaty, citing its prohibitive diplomatic sanctions. Accord Relations -- Tepeu intended to foster greater cooperation with the Accord des Nations Amicales, but this did not come to fruition due again to Lourenne's general preoccupation with more domestic affairs. Dovani Common Market Area -- Tepeu's presidency saw the first DCMA policy conference, although despite Dull's preoccupation with the matter, little was accomplished. Lourennian Colonies and Protectorates Legal Status -- Tepeu wanted to establish the legal status of Lourennian colonial claims, but no precedent has been set forth so far. Protected Zone -- Tepeu successfully expanded the Protected Zone to cover the entire southern claim. Squibble Protectorate -- Tepeu also wanted to form a regulatory body to oversee the politcal status of Squibble, but this did not occur. Category:Lourennais people